Pandemic Chronicles

My blog posts while being in self-quarantine/isolation during the time of COVID-19 Pandemic

Dirty Dozen Con Jobs (Movies)

Criminal Reads shared a pretty good list of con-job movies to watch. I have seen every single one of those. And I absolutely love every single one of these, so I have no problems recommending them to you, and I would say go ahead an watch them. In fact, make it a daily ritual to get through the crazy times we are living in right now. Or you can binge on the weekend. Also, go ahead and leave your favorites and recommendations below in the comments, so I can add them to the mix.

  1. The Sting.
  2. Catch me if you can. 
  3. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.
  4. American Hustle.
  5. Criminal. 
  6. The Brothers Bloom. 
  7. The Usual Suspects.
  8. Matchstick Men.
  9. The Good Liar. 
  10. Ocean’s Eleven (12 and 13.) 

They are available on iTunes Store and some of them are available on the Amazon Prime Video store for rent.

via Dean Jobb is the author of Empire of Deception on Criminal Reads

Musings
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Why we need to rethink how to support music (and creativity)

Anne Mueller, courtesy of Erased Tapes

A recent random email turned me on to the work by Berlin-based pianist and ambient music impresario Nils Frahm. Through him, I stumbled upon Anne Muller, a cellist with highly minimal compositions. I ended up listening to both of their work on YouTube Music (which comes free with my ad-less premium YouTube subscription.) 

Frahm’s work is so unique and unfussy, so minimal, and yet so complex. His new album, “Empty,” is a collection of eight solo piano pieces. In many ways, it reminds me of the streets of our cities: empty, haunting, devoid of life and humanity. They are achingly beautiful. I ended up listening to him for two straight days, interspersing his fantastic piano work with Muller’s new recording, “Heliopause.” I am particularly in love with the track “Nummer 2.” 

Including these two, I have bought a total of four albums so far

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Technology
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Guilty Pleasures

If you are like me, then between waves of productivity and relative calm, you are overcome with a feeling of anxiety and panic. After all, it is really weird to be locked up in your apartment, suspicious of the present, and unable to process the future. I have those moments. And when I do, more often than not, I take a little meditation break. Sometimes, I do a pranayama ritual, and life regains a sense of normalcy. At least, as normal as it can be in an unending pandemic compounded by politicians and their idiocy. 

Of course, there are other ways to cope, like giving in to guilty pleasures. And no, that is not just my advice. It is coming from Shira Gabriel((Shira Gabriel)), an associate professor of psychology at the University of Buffalo:

“We evolved to need one another and when that need isn’t filled we suffer…my advice in this

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Musings
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[Photo Set] Yet another walk down Embarcadero (in SF)

I am ever so grateful for the job that allows me to live this close to the water that I can go for a morning walk, and come home at peace with our collective insane reality. Yesterday, I walked out, bundled up to fight the chill, and forgot my Ricoh GR3. Instead, I had my iPhone 11 Pro. That was enough to capture the glory of a rising sun and man-made beauty. I used the iPhone’s in-built camera and Moment Camera App to capture these images. This set of photos is lightly edited and, I applied my bespoke presets to give the images a consistent look.

On Photography
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[Podcast] Stuck@Om with Matt Buchanan

The current pandemic has exposed many of society’s frailties, and no other sector has been impacted more than the service industry, especially the food and restaurant ecosystem. A lot of us don’t quite understand the fragility of this supply chain, and the sheer size and scope of the impact. In order to understand the magnitude of the problems, I turned to my dear friend Matt Buchanan, who is the executive editor of Eater, a publication devoted to the food industry and its joys. Matt in his past life was a technology writer for a variety of publications including the New Yorker and Buzzfeed, before joining The Awl, a new defunct countercultural publication.

In my opinion, no publication has done a better job of covering the impact of the current crisis on its industry with more empathy and humanness than Eater, without compromising its journalistic high standards. It has become a

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Podcast
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Yet Another Monday in Pandemic

My work desk: iPad Pro w/KeyChron K2 mechanical keyboard & new Apple TrackPad

On the news, on social media, and in personal communication apps, there seems to seems to be a continuous end-of-the-world vibe. Given that none of us can do much about the way things are going, except self isolating and pay attention to the needs of each others, you get the sense that much of this is misery porn. I can’t help but join writer Dan Samorodinitsky’s plea for “no more coronavirus takes.”1 What the hell does anyone know? Even the news is just a wash, rinse, and repeat of the same old stuff. Enough already!

For me, today is Day 38 of self-isolation. It is the start of another work week, and I am doing what I would normally do on any given Monday. I get up, go for a walk, come back home, and make a

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Musings
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When Buying Medical Supplies from China…

James Seng, a long time Internet expert, and investor based in Singapore, has published three informative posts on how to buy medical supplies from China. I have known of Seng and his work, and he has deep connections in China, and his three-part series can be beneficial to those seeking medical supplies. This includes a primer on buying KN95 masks, ventilators, and surgical masks. Here are some key takeaways from his posts:

– Only buy KN95 GB 19083 FFP2 masks for frontline doctors and nurses. Others are pretty useless in medical facilities.
– There is a short supply of ventilators and it might take a couple of months to get these delivered.
– “For your own personal use, buy this mask is sufficient. It is cheap and comfortable,” Seng suggests. “Ask for a medical mask with YY-0969-2013 standard.”

Technology
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[Photos] Kind’a’Blue

It has been a wet and gloomy weekend around these parts. I don’t mind the rain — it usually quietens the world around me. But this weekend it makes the world seem a bit eerier. It is also the kind of day when you need to dust off your old Miles Davis and John Coltrane vinyl and enjoy the organic analog sound. Photos made with Ricoh GR3 in MacroMode and in-camera monochrome setting.

On Photography
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America 2.0

I feel a certain kinship with Mark Cuban, the owner of Dallas Mavericks and an investor in many companies. Except for owning the NBA team part. Or being a billionaire. Or being white. Still, I like that he is hopeful and almost relentlessly optimistic about human capabilities.

My often visible skepticism about a lot of things aside, I am a believer in possibilities. I mean, otherwise, what’s the point? I also like that Cuban, who can afford to do so, gives the middle finger to authority. As you probably know, I am not getting invited to Zuck’s BBQ anytime soon. Anyway Cuban sent this tweet earlier this week:

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Musings, Technology
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